Carless Again. Eerie Quiet at Lunchtime.
This morning I dropped our car, "hawk girl", off at the auto upholstery shop to have the convertible top fabric replaced. Replacing the top, which started showing premature signs of wear years ago, has been part of our plan since... well, years ago... but specifically since I called a few shops for estimates and booked an appointment last week. The work should be done by tomorrow afternoon, and I'm looking forward to how good the results will look.
In the meantime I am again without a car. Again, as our other car was in the shop for a week earlier this month. I work from home, so the biggest impact on my habits of not having a car is not being able to drive for lunch or to run errands during the day. But that's okay, because most of the errands can be delayed a few days, and I actually have numerous walkable options for eating lunch out.
Today I walked for lunch and enjoyed the chance to get a bit of exercise along with a change of scenery from home office. Two odd things struck me during my 45 minute outing.
First, going out around 11:30 it was eerie how quiet our neighborhood was. Everyone's at work. And almost all schools are back in session now, so even young children (and the adults who watch them) have disappeared. On my walk through the townhouse community I literally did not see or even hear another human being.
Second, on my walk home I was surprised how much hotter it had become in just 45 minutes. At 11:30 it was pleasantly cool in the shade and pleasantly warm in the sun. By 12:15 it was downright hot in the sun and still sweaty in the shade. 🥵 A glance at the weather forecast shows we're in for another hot week here. And our home air conditioner is broken. We'll get on planning repairs for that as soon as we finish car repairs. 😔
Update: The service advisor called from the shop this afternoon. They found more stuff broken once they removed the top. It seems like there's always more when the car goes into the shop. 🙄 Well, we want to get it fixed. But the wait for a part will probably add another day to the schedule- and to my carlessness. It's a good thing I'm enjoying walking for lunch!
In the meantime I am again without a car. Again, as our other car was in the shop for a week earlier this month. I work from home, so the biggest impact on my habits of not having a car is not being able to drive for lunch or to run errands during the day. But that's okay, because most of the errands can be delayed a few days, and I actually have numerous walkable options for eating lunch out.
Today I walked for lunch and enjoyed the chance to get a bit of exercise along with a change of scenery from home office. Two odd things struck me during my 45 minute outing.
First, going out around 11:30 it was eerie how quiet our neighborhood was. Everyone's at work. And almost all schools are back in session now, so even young children (and the adults who watch them) have disappeared. On my walk through the townhouse community I literally did not see or even hear another human being.
Second, on my walk home I was surprised how much hotter it had become in just 45 minutes. At 11:30 it was pleasantly cool in the shade and pleasantly warm in the sun. By 12:15 it was downright hot in the sun and still sweaty in the shade. 🥵 A glance at the weather forecast shows we're in for another hot week here. And our home air conditioner is broken. We'll get on planning repairs for that as soon as we finish car repairs. 😔
Update: The service advisor called from the shop this afternoon. They found more stuff broken once they removed the top. It seems like there's always more when the car goes into the shop. 🙄 Well, we want to get it fixed. But the wait for a part will probably add another day to the schedule- and to my carlessness. It's a good thing I'm enjoying walking for lunch!